Now to that amusement park scare in Maryland. Five hours in the blazing heat. ABC's bazi kanani on the investigation and the rescue. Reporter: Thrill-seekers stranded a dizzying 75 feet in the air. 17 adults and seven children tilting sideways baking in the 85-degree August heat, firefighters climbing onto the tracks, handing out water and umbrellas for shade. Then, five hours in, a delicate rescue attaching straps to each passenger and one at a time leading them back to solid ground. I was afraid the thing was going to fall and we were going to die. Reporter: The ride, the joker's jinx, at six flags Maryland. Usually a high-velocity tangle of twists and turns, suddenly stopped dead in its traction. The ride behind me here still closed. Park engineers trying to figure out what went wrong. It's not the first time we've seen passengers stranded. Last month, 22 people left dangling for three hours outside of Los Angeles. We're really high up. Reporter: And just last week in New Jersey, one rider recording his nerve racking walk down after his coaster stops, too. Everyone is holding on for dear life on the railing. Reporter: Theme parks around the country engaged in a kind of arms race of faster, ever more thrilling rides, but the industry points out, the chance of something happens in a theme park is just one in 24 million. Still scenes like these leading critics to call for stricter are safety regulations of theme park rides. They're only regulated by the industry. So we think it's time for regulators here in Washington to take a hard look at rider safety. Reporter: Fix flags promises a thorough investigation and says the safety of our guests is our top priority.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

Terrifying Real Life Drama for 22 People Trapped in the Air on a Roller Coaster

Roller coaster mishap strands a dozen people; rescuers scramble to get them down.

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